Singapore has topped the table of best expatriate destinations for the second year running, but Sweden is the best place for raising children, while Switzerland offers the best wages, according to an influential global survey.

The UK and the US, meanwhile, languished around mid-table on HSBC’s ninth annual Expat Explorer survey.

Almost two thirds of “expats” told HSBC that their overall quality of life improved after moving to Singapore. HSBC defines an expat as any adult currently living away from their country of origin, and interviewed almost 27,000 people in 190 countries to get its findings.

Singapore’s stats among expats were formidable: more than 60 per cent said they were both earning Singapore than they did in their home country, the same proportion said they were saving more, 73 per cent were confident about the local economy, 62 per cent felt it was a good place to advance their careers and 58 per cent thought the city-state was a good place to start a business.

On top of that, nearly half felt they were healthier living in Singapore, 84 per cent say the island was safer than their home country and 75 per cent rated the quality of education as better than at home.